Challenge of the Heart
by Neal Wolf
Summary: Part 1 of a series. Foxglove gets into a fight over Dale... with Tammy? How'd that happen? Guess you'll have to read and find out...


Gadget sat quietly in her workshop, fiddling with her latest invention. She had a lot on her mind, and as she often has before, she's found it easier to sort through the myriad thoughts and feelings while she was working. There was no question in anyone's mind any more: Chip was honestly in love with her, and she with him. The mouse inventor had expected Tammy to not react very well; she'd had a crush on the chipmunk since they met. Though her behavior indicated that she'd accepted the fact (she's even congratulated her on her and Chip's engagement), Gadget could tell that Tammy was taking it harder than she let on. She had concerns on whether or not this turn of events would have an effect on Tammy's performance as a Ranger-in-training, and had considered addressing them to Chip, but she figured that if he had similar worries, he'd say so. 

Her thoughts were disrupted by the biggest ruckus she'd ever heard. Rushing into the living room, she found her male teammates trying desperately to pull Tammy and Foxglove apart, Chip trying to restrain Tammy, Dale pulling at Foxglove, and Monty trying to squeeze between them.

"Back off, Bushtail, he's _mine_!" the bat snarled.

"I don't see your name on him anywhere," the squirrel shot back.

"Then you're looking in the wrong place…"

"Should I check for bite marks on his neck?"

Foxglove lunged at Tammy, dragging Dale with her and nearly breaking free of his hold. Instead of her intended target, however, she ran headlong into Monty.

" 'ere, now, girls, I like a good punch-up, but this is no way for teammates ta be'ave!" he admonished them both.

Gadget blinked, taking in the peculiar spectacle. "Golly, what the heck's goin' on?"

Foxglove looked over at Gadget, then shot Tammy a dirty look. "I've had it with this little Jezebel flirting with Dale!"

Tammy smirked back. "Can I help it if he likes _my_ company over some nightstalker's?"

The bat growled, eyes burning with rage. "That's it," she snapped. "Outta my way, Monty; I'll _show_ her just how much of a nightstalker I am!"

Dale, looking rather annoyed himself, let go of Foxglove. "Okay, I've had it!" he yelled. "You two go ahead and kill each other; when someone wants _my_ opinion, let me know!" With that, he stalked out the front door, slamming it behind him.

Tammy and Foxglove both stared at the front door, dumbfounded but still being securely restrained. Gadget looked at the remaining Rangers, puzzled. "What started all this?"

Chip sighed, keeping his grip on Tammy. "Well, Gadge, it's a long story…"

* * *

It was only a couple of days after the team returned from DC when Dale stumbled into the med lab holding his stomach. "Ooo, I think I ate too much candy…"

Tammy glanced over her shoulder from what she was doing and smiled. "Have a seat on the exam table, Dale; I'll have you fixed up in a sec."

The chipmunk plopped himself on the table, and Tammy set to work checking his temperature, blood pressure, et cetera. Her face screwed into a look of concern when she looked at the thermometer. "How much did you eat, anyway?"

Dale shrugged. "About a fourth of my emergency supply."

The girl squirrel shook her head. "That's nothing for you, plus you've got a little bit of a fever. I think you might've caught a stomach flu." She put away her equipment, then stepped over to a nearby medicine cabinet. "Don't worry; with me takin' care of you, you'll be as good as new in no time."

"Got somethin' that 'should work with no problems'?" Dale said ruefully, resting a paw on his stomach.

She giggled, coming back to him with a small bottle of pink liquid. "Nah, I'm not brave enough to tempt fate like that." She handed him the bottle, pulling a high stool up next to the table and sitting down. "Here, take a swallow of this every four hours, and try to lay off the candy for a few days. Speaking of our resident genius, what do you think of her and Chip getting married?"

Dale shrugged. "It's great, I guess; I mean, I think they'll be really happy together, an' I'm happy for 'em…" his voice trailed off.

Tammy leaned closer, a conspiratorial glint in her eye. "There's a 'but' in there somewhere; I know you two used to fight over her all the time."

Dale waved a paw, dismissing the suggestion. "Aw, I've been past that for a while now. It's just that… well, them getting married means I'll be losing my roommate; I know it sounds selfish, but I can't shake the feeling that it'll get kind'a… I don't know, lonely."

Tammy's smile widened, resting a paw on his. "Don't worry, Dale; _I'll_ make sure you're not lonely…"

Out in the hallway, a pair of radar-like ears picked up the end of this conversation, and a pair of violet eyes slowly turned green.

The following evening, Dale was sitting in the living room, watching a movie. Foxglove came down the stairs from her room; she'd just awakened from an afternoon nap. She yawned, then settled in on the couch next to Dale. "Hey, cute stuff."

"Hi Foxy," Dale said with a smile. "Enjoy your nap?"

"Mm-hmm," she said with another yawn. "I'm still not quite used to being awake during the day yet, but I'm gettin' there. What'cha watchin'?"

" 'Attack of the Nuclear Mutated Hamsters, Part XIV'," he informed her. "I just watched it last night, but there's nothin' else on."

Tammy skipped through the front door, grinning as she saw the back of Dale's head on the couch. "Hi, Dale! Your stomach feelin' better?" She leaned over the back of the couch and rested her head on his shoulder; her tone and expression took on a hint of disappointment upon noticing the chiropteran curled up at his side. "Oh, hi Fox."

Foxglove gave her a puzzled look, but Dale seemed oblivious. "Hey, Tammy; yeah, I'm doin' a lot better. That goop ya gave me might taste terrible, but it worked great; thanks."

"No problem," her cheerful demeanor reasserted itself. "I just got tickets to the amusement park, wanna come? I heard they're supposed to have a fireworks show later tonight…"

Dale's smile widened. "Sure, sounds like fun! What d'ya say, Foxy?"

"Um," Tammy cut in before Foxglove could reply, "I only got two tickets…" She tried to look apologetic, but the glint in her eye gave away the fact that she didn't really mean it.

Foxglove was clearly disappointed, but she shrugged, giving them a small grin. "I've got some reading I want to catch up on, anyway."

Dale frowned, tilting his head. "You sure? I don't have to go…"

She scratched behind his ears with a wing. "It's okay, cutie; you go ahead. We can always do something when you get back."

"Well, okay," they both rose, Foxglove heading for the stairs as Dale and Tammy went to the door.

"Have fun, guys!" Foxglove tried to sound cheerful. She started regretting her decision when she heard the tone of Tammy's reply.

"Oh, we will…"

Later that night, Foxglove was stretched out on the couch, her nose in a book, when she heard the front door open. The voices speaking told her who is was; her sonar told her that they were _way_ too close together for her comfort.

"Thanks again, Tammy," said Dale, closing the door behind him. "That was a blast, and that fireworks show was great!"

"Any time," Tammy cooed back. Foxglove bit her tongue, imagining a seductive grin on the squirrel's face. "I'm beat; I'm gonna head down to bed."

"See ya in the mornin'!" Dale called as Tammy went down the stairs. The bat poked her head up over the top of the couch when she heard Dale's footsteps going up the stairs.

"Hey, cute stuff!" she smiled up at him. "Sounds like you enjoyed yourself."

Dale turned, surprised, then smiled. "Hi, Foxy; yeah, the park got a couple of new rides; one of 'em looked like somethin' Gadget would've come up with."

"I'm glad." Though she said it, part of her didn't mean it, so she changed the subject. " 'Giant Gila Monsters From Outer Space' is coming on soon; wanna watch it with me?"

"Sorry, Foxy," Dale replied with a yawn, "but I'm wiped out. Maybe tomorrow night, okay?"

The bat's ears drooped; she couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice. "Oh, okay… g'night, cutie."

"Night, Foxy," he smiled down to her. "Sweet dreams."

"Always, when you're in 'em," she said under her breath as he left. She laid back down on the couch, folding her wings over her chest and looking somewhat depressed.

"Hi Foxy; where's Dale?" The voice of the other resident chipmunk came from the doorway leading to the kitchen. "I thought I heard him and Tammy come in…"

"Oh, hi Chip," Foxglove said as she looked up and gave the Rangers' leader a halfhearted smile. "He went up to bed already; he said he was tired. I didn't know you were still up."

"I was just grabbing a snack before bed," he replied. "I love Gadget dearly, but I still need something to get the taste of motor oil out of my mouth when she cooks." The chipmunk regarded the bat for a moment. "Are you… is everything okay?"

She shook her head a bit. "It's nothing… nothing important, anyway… just me being silly…"

He sat down on the arm of the couch, near her head. "Then it shouldn't be a problem to tell me…"

Foxglove sighed, her ears nearly parallel with the top of her head. "I think Tammy's tryin' to steal Dale from me," she told him, followed by a recount of the evening's events.

Chip smiled, patting his chiropteran teammate on the shoulder. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've known Dale longer than anyone, and I've got a pretty good idea of how his brain works. Just watch, you'll be back to late-night movie marathons together in no time."

She didn't look overly convinced. "I hope so…"

* * *

Every night the following couple of weeks went more or less the same way. Tammy would make plans and invite Dale along, conveniently arranging for Foxglove to not be included, and Dale would always be too tired to do something with her when they got back. Foxglove wasn't sure what she felt more: depressed over Dale, or angry at Tammy.

One night, the squirrel and chipmunk returned from the evening's activities to find their bat friend strangely absent from her usual spot on the couch. "Huh, wonder where Foxy is…" Dale thought aloud.

"Oh, she probably just went out hunting or somethin'," the tone of Tammy's voice made it fairly clear that she was trying to dismiss the subject. "Wanna see what's on TV?"

"Sure," he replied, plopping on the couch and grabbing the remote. He was already engrossed in flipping through the channels as Tammy sat down next to him. "Of, course, there's nothin' on," he muttered. "Should'a figured; they usually don't show the really good horror movies 'til late at night."

"That's okay, Dale," she smiled. "Actually, I've got a surprise for you."

"Really?" the chipmunk was instantly excited. "Zowie! What is it?"

"Close your eyes."

Dale did as he was asked. Tammy bit her bottom lip, staring at him for a moment, then threw her arms around him and kissed him…

… just as Foxglove walked in the door. In the span of less than a second, the bat went from shocked, to heartbroken, to enraged. She charged across the room and lunged, sailing over the back of the couch and tackling the squirrel just as Chip and Monty came in the room.

* * *

"And that's how this whole mess got started." As the Rangers' leader finished his narrative, still holding Tammy, Foxglove slipped loose from Monty and ran up the stairs, hiding her face in her wings. The others watched, concerned looks on all of their faces, except one.

That one was Tammy, who looked… and felt… downright ashamed. "You can let me go now, Chip," she said with a sigh. "I've got a lot of apologizing to do. Sorry you guys got dragged into this."

"Golly, Tammy, we're really not the ones you need to apologize to," Gadget told her, looking toward the top of the stairs.

"I kin think'a two others off the top'a my 'ead," added Monty with a look toward the front door.

The squirrel nodded. "I know; I just wanted to get the easiest one out of the way first." She then began a slow trudge up the stairs, her braid swinging in time to her steps as she hung her head.

Foxglove hung from the perch in her room, crying her eyes out. A knock came from her door, and a quick echosound told her who was on the other side. "Go away, Tammy; you've done enough."

Tammy slowly opened the door just enough to slip her head in. "I just want to say I'm sorry for being such a heel," she nearly choked on her own words, seeing the state her friend and teammate was in and knowing it was her fault. "I don't expect you to forgive me any time soon, but I hope you can some day." She slowly withdrew, pulling the door closed behind her.

The bat dropped to the floor, her temper flaring again. "What on earth possessed you to go after Dale in the first place?" she demanded.

Tammy slipped back into the room, leaning her back on the door. "With everything goin' on with Chip an' Gadget, and watchin' the two of you flirt all the time, I guess I felt… I dunno, left out…"

"But why _Dale_?!" Fresh tears began welling in her eyes.

The squirrel scratched the back of her head and stared at the floor, unable to meet the bat's gaze. "Well, considering how long you two have known each other, I figured the flirting between you was just playing around, since you've never actually gotten together…"

Foxglove cut off her retort; Tammy had a point. "That's been his choice, not mine," she said finally. "If it was up to me, we'd probably already be married by now, but I don't want to try to push him into something and end up pushing him away."

Tammy looked up. "You really love him that much?"

The bat nodded sadly.

"Man, I am _such_ a jerk," said Tammy, tears starting to form in her eyes as well. "I should'a seen it, what with how rarely Dale's serious about _any_thing… Fox, I swear, if I knew how you really felt, I _never_ would'a…" She took a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh. "Maybe I should just give up on guys all together… especially chipmunks."

Foxglove could tell the squirrel's words were heartfelt. She rested a wingtip on her shoulder, managing a small grin. "Well, there's always Monty…"

Relief washed over the young squirrel as she saw the bat's grin, then she made a face. "Are you kiddin'? That'd be like dating my uncle…" She looked down at the floor, her face becoming serious again as her eyes returned to Foxglove's. "I'm sorry for those cracks I made, too."

Foxglove nodded. "I guess I can let it go… _this_ time," she finished with a smirk.

"Friends?"

"Friends," the bat wrapped her wings around her in a hug. "Now, I think we _both_ have a certain hunk of a 'munk to apologize to…"

* * *

Dale sat out front, stewing. "Why're they fightin' over me anyways?" he thought for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I'm just a big goofball; Chip, I could see, or even Monty, but _me_? For that matter, why'd Tammy kiss me in the first place? Yeah, we've been hangin' out a lot, but I never saw _that_ comin'…"

He looked over his shoulder, hearing the front door open behind him. "You're both still breathin', huh?" he said sarcastically.

The two young women both looked a little hurt, then Foxglove sighed. "We deserved that, y'know."

"Yeah, I guess we did," Tammy replied as the two of them sat down to either side of the chipmunk. "Dale, I'm sorry for all this; I guess I figured, since I couldn't have one chipmunk, I'd try for the other. I wasn't even thinking about your feelings about it, or Fox's."

Dale sighed, looking at her. "Tammy, you're a great friend, and I don't wanna sound mean, but that's all we'll ever be: great friends."

The squirrel nodded. "I realize that now. Sorry again."

"And I'm sorry for being so jealous," the bat to his other side added. "I know I don't have any right to be, really, but when I saw Tammy kissing you…"

"Hey, that threw _me_ for as much of a loop as it did_you_," Dale told her; Tammy just blushed as he continued. "Would it help if I told you the whole reason we came back early was so I could hang out with you?"

Foxglove smiled. "Really?"

"What, you think it was _my_ idea?" Tammy smirked, getting a laugh from both of them.

Dale stood up, then helped both ladies to their feet. "C'mon, 'Invasion of the Tofu People' is startin' in a few minutes."

Foxglove smiled, then turned to Tammy. "Wanna join us?"

The squirrel smiled back, shaking her head. "Nah; I've gotten in you guys' way enough already. Besides, I need to work on accepting not having a man in my life. It's not like some cute squirrel guy's gonna walk in the door and sweep me off my feet."

Foxglove giggled. "Hey, anything's possible."


End file.
